The Interfolio Blog

As the calendar year draws to a close, organizations and publications are busy looking forward to 2010 and predicting what the new year holds in store for higher ed in a number of different areas. Earlier this week we shared the Horizon Report from NMC, which looked at what specific technologies are likely to be in demand and reach mainstream use in 2010. 

Today, we take at look at Campus Technology's new article listing the 5 Higher Ed Trends To Watch in 2010. In some cases the predictions are aligned with the Horizon Report. For example, the predicted uptake of use of handheld devices is in keeping with Horizon's prediction that mobile devices will be the mainstay of 2010 technology use in the classroom.

In other cases, Campus Technology looks much farther ahead than the Horizon Report does. The overarching theme is interactivity, and Campus Technology predicts a major uptake in interactive technologies in the classroom. From touchscreen whiteboards to tablet pcs, streaming multimedia and technology mashups, the predictions focus on technology bringing an increased vibrancy and interactivity to the traditional classroom setting.

What is surprising about the article is that most of the technology predictions focus on what will happen inside the classroom, with very little focus on how these mobile or web-based technologies will be used outside of class time and place.  

With more and more students taking online classes and participating in online learning environments, social networks, wikis and other forms of learning outside the classroom, it is surprising that Campus Technology took such a narrow view of how technologies will be used and spent very little time noting how new developments will break down classroom walls and even foster collaboration with peers at other schools, often in other states and in many cases in other countries. 

In addition, many of the predictions say very little about what effect these technologies will have on how the student learns or what use they will actually serve in the classroom. For example, the article notes use of interactive whiteboards in the English Department at Rutgers, but does not explain how the department is actually making use of the tool. In many cases new technology is exciting but many educators are unsure how to begin incorporating it into classroom learning in a meaningful way. A deeper focus on what use these technologies serve would have been helpful. 

To take a look at Campus Technology's predictions for 2010 click here, and let us know your thoughts. What technologies do you think will become mainstream in 2010 and how do you hope to use them in the classroom and beyond?